The present invention relates to an apparatus for applying closures to containers.
In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus for applying closures to containers, such as bottles, flasks and the like, the neck whereof is inclined with respect to a vertical longitudinal axis of said containers.
In known apparatuses for applying closures to containers having an inclined neck, the containers, arriving from a filling unit which has filled them with liquid or powder-like substances, are fed in succession, in a vertical arrangement, to grip elements belonging to a rotating input carousel.
During their permanence on said carousel, the containers are rotated by the related grip elements so that they become arranged with their neck arranged vertically. This arrangement in fact facilitates the subsequent closure application operation, which occurs on another rotating closure-fitting carousel.
Due to compulsory layout requirements of the apparatuses at issue, said input carousel must have very small dimensions, and the described rotation of the containers occurs while said containers, supported by the grip elements, move along a rather small arc, for example equal to 45.degree.. A consequence of this is the fact that said rotation of the containers is performed in a very rapid manner, and this fact often gives rise to an escape of liquid from said containers.
The transfer of containers which are inclined with respect to the vertical from the input carousel to the closure application carousel is furthermore much more difficult than the transfer of vertically arranged containers, and the elements involved in this transfer are unavoidably very complicated.